Chapter 47: Restroom Revelations

On weekends, Midsummer Night Restaurant invariably bustled with activity. Today, however, shattered all previous records for customer traffic, leaving Bai Chen utterly overwhelmed.

“Bai Chen, take their order. Those customers have been waiting forever.”

“Bai Chen, serve the food! The customers are getting impatient.”

“Bai Chen, what are you dawdling for? Get moving!”

During such frantic periods, Bai Chen often pondered why he, a seventeen-year-old high school student, wasn’t at home studying or playing games, nor out with friends playing basketball. Instead, he was toiling away here like an ox and horse (TL Note: A Chinese idiom referring to someone overworked and exploited).

The restaurant roared with noise, akin to a bustling wet market. At times, Bai Chen found himself unable to move an inch through the aisles, constantly worried about spilling drinks from his tray.

The only silver lining was that the peak rush, much like a sudden storm, arrived swiftly and departed just as quickly.

After bustling through the better part of the afternoon, he finally witnessed the restaurant’s chaotic energy begin to subside.

Where patrons had initially struggled to find a seat, requiring staff guidance, now numerous empty tables were visible at a glance, allowing the entire crew to finally relax.

Having delivered the last customer’s order to their table, Bai Chen rolled his shoulders, walked over to the counter, and plopped down, exhaling a long, weary sigh.

Finally, a moment to rest. He felt as though he would collapse if this relentless pace continued.

“Damn, I’m exhausted.”

Su Wanghai, sitting beside him, was vigorously massaging his aching thighs.

“Sometimes I genuinely question if I’m even a demon hunter anymore,” he grumbled. “Why am I spending more time working for the manager than out on actual missions? Did Manager Cheng Xuan trick us into working illegal labor (TL Note: Refers to working without proper contracts or under exploitative conditions)?”

“Keep your voice down,” Bai Chen cautioned, glancing around. “If the manager hears you, she’ll kick your ass again.”

“Let her kick, let her kick! Being kicked by a beautiful woman is a blessing, too,” Su Wanghai wailed in a self-deprecating manner. “She’s perfect in every way, except for her age.”

Bai Chen couldn’t even be bothered to respond.

The manager was notoriously sensitive about her single status and advanced age. When provoked, she showed no mercy, and Bai Chen fully intended to be the first to bolt the moment Su Wanghai got caught.

“Bai Chen, you look remarkably energetic. Did something good happen?”

Ordinarily, Bai Chen’s complexion would be even more pallid than Su Wanghai’s. Yet, despite having been busy for the better part of the afternoon, his face appeared surprisingly rosy, even healthier than Su Wanghai’s.

‘Something’s fishy,’ Su Wanghai thought.

“Ah, nothing particularly good,” Bai Chen replied with a faint smile. “I’m just finding this life isn’t as bad as I’d imagined.”

He used to feel his life was destined to be ordinary. While he had managed to get into the Demon Hunter Guild through his parents’ connections, he believed that after graduation, he would be no different from the pale, bloodless office workers on the street.

He envisioned living the same routine every day, performing the same tasks, rising early for work, and returning home exhausted at night. He would blend into the masses, unnoticed by anyone.

However, after the events of last month, Bai Chen realized that there were still people who genuinely cared for him.

Even amidst a bustling crowd, that girl would undoubtedly never lose sight of him.

‘She herself isn’t doing so well, yet she cares so much about me.’

Bai Chen could sense the turbulent soul hidden beneath her dull, lusterless eyes.

“Tsk, youth truly is a blessing,” Su Wanghai sighed again. “Whatever you do, don’t end up like Cheng Xuan—constantly exploiting employees, and too old to get married…”

“Cough, cough!” A voice echoed from behind them.

Su Wanghai’s expression shifted faster than a turning page. He spun around with a beaming smile. “Oh, Manager, what a coincidence! Look, there aren’t many customers right now, are there?”

Bai Chen gave him a speechless glance before his gaze drifted to Manager Cheng Xuan’s face.

She was smiling, but a woman’s smile could conceal a sharp blade.

Cheng Xuan crossed her arms. “Bai Chen, go clean the restrooms.”

“Ah, oh.”

“Su Wanghai, come to my office in a bit.”

“Huh? No way!”

Watching Cheng Xuan’s retreating back, Bai Chen patted Su Wanghai’s shoulder. “Take care. If you don’t make it out alive, I’ll burn spirit money (TL Note: A traditional Chinese practice of burning symbolic money for the deceased to use in the afterlife) for you.”

“Get lost, get lost! You’re the one who should be careful.”

‘Speaking ill of me, huh?’ Su Wanghai’s eyes darted around.

“You know, I heard someone died in the restroom before Cheng Xuan took over this place.”

“…”

Bai Chen’s eye twitched. He had been terrified of ghost stories since childhood.

“They say it was a poor girl,” Su Wanghai continued, his voice dropping. “Not only was she forced to wear revealing outfits while working here, but at night, the manager would drag her into the restroom to entertain clients. Eventually, pregnant and unable to bear the humiliation, she hanged herself in that very restroom. To this day, she supposedly wanders, clutching her unborn child, searching for someone to take them in.”

“Not listening, not listening, a turtle chanting scriptures (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘wangba nianjing’, meaning to ignore unwelcome advice or nonsense, often implying stubbornness or deliberate ignorance).”

Bai Chen clapped his hands over his ears and fled, grabbing the cleaning supplies before hurrying into the restroom.

During her lifetime, Bai Chen’s mother had been an avid collector of horror films. Not content with watching them alone, she insisted on dragging her husband and son along.

Young Bai Chen often found himself tied to the sofa by his mother, forced to watch even when he didn’t want to, frequently losing sleep from fright.

Now grown, he believed in science, convinced that ghosts and spirits were mere figments of imagination. However, with the emergence of supernatural creatures like demons, the existence of ghosts itself became a debatable point.

At least for now, Bai Chen continually reassured himself that ghosts simply did not exist.

Whether it was his imagination or not, upon entering the restroom, he felt the ambient temperature drop noticeably, as if chilling drafts were blowing from behind him.

Bai Chen swallowed hard, quickly carried the bucket to the faucet, and turned it on to fill it with water.

‘Some hanged girl, whatever. Even if she exists, don’t come looking for me. I’m still young, and I’m not interested in taking over someone’s problems (TL Note: ‘Jiepan’, literally ‘taking the plate’, slang for taking responsibility for someone else’s mess or a bad situation, often with romantic or financial implications)… much less taking over for a female ghost.’

Bai Chen worked with frantic haste, his sole desire to finish quickly and escape the place.

****

Meanwhile, just outside the restroom, Mo Qiu, having finally completed her journey, pushed open the restaurant door.

“Welcome…” The waitress froze the moment she saw her. “Aren’t you… that person? What are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for Bai Chen.”

“Bai Chen seems busy. You can ask Su Wanghai,” the waitress suggested, her eyes continuously scrutinizing Mo Qiu. After Mo Qiu left, the waitress couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

The girl, dressed in a maid outfit, instantly drew numerous gazes the moment she appeared in the restaurant.

“What a cute girl. Is she an employee?”

“She’s a maid! AWSSL (TL Note: A Chinese internet slang acronym, ‘a wo si le’, meaning ‘I’m dying’, used to express extreme adoration or excitement, similar to ‘OMG so cute’).”

“And cat ears? Pure bliss!”

Mo Qiu, oblivious to their whispers, had only one thought in her mind: find Bai Chen.

Spotting Su Wanghai still hesitating at the counter, she approached him directly.

“Hello, I’m looking for Bai Chen.”

“Ah… huh?!”

Su Wanghai’s eyes widened.

“Are you serious?”

“I am.”

Given her attire, Su Wanghai swallowed hard, lowering his voice. “Are you sure you haven’t mistaken the time for your appointment?”

‘It’s certainly not the time to go out and play; there’s still a while until closing.’

“Appointment?” Mo Qiu tilted her head, her cat ears seemingly drooping with her confusion. “Bai Chen and I have no appointment.”

Su Wanghai, stunned, stammered incoherently. “Then you’re here to see him on your own?”

“Yes.”

*Slap!* Su Wanghai slapped his own face.

‘Why don’t I ever get a cute maid voluntarily showing up at my doorstep?’

‘A white-stockinged maid… too bad she already has a master.’

‘That kid, Bai Chen, is truly living the good life.’

Su Wanghai, looking utterly defeated, sank back into his seat and gestured to the other side of the restaurant. “He’s cleaning the restrooms. You can wait outside.”

“Alright.”

Mo Qiu turned to leave, grateful that fewer eyes were now fixed on her.

‘Why does this place always have so many dangerous gazes?’

‘Did they intentionally let me in, hoping to capture and interrogate me?’

Mo Qiu clutched her skirt hem, walked to the restroom door, and heard the sounds of cleaning emanating from the men’s room.

As the cleaning progressed, Bai Chen’s attention gradually shifted to the task at hand.

Rather than worrying about female ghosts, he realized it was better to focus on how to clean thoroughly.

‘What was I thinking? To actually feel scared? Erotic female ghosts or whatever, they simply don’t exist.’

Bai Chen finished cleaning the last stall, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then turned around—

Only to meet the gaze of a pair of dull, lusterless eyes.

‘A maid outfit, cat ears, and a gloomy face… It’s a female ghost!’

“It really appeared!”

Bai Chen’s heart pounded against his ribs, threatening to leap from his throat. He grabbed the mop, ready to fight the ghost.

‘Wait, she looks somewhat familiar.’

“Mo Qiu?!”

‘Could this female ghost actually transform into someone I know?’

“It’s me, Bai Chen.”

Bai Chen glanced at the floor; there was a shadow. Not a ghost.

‘It’s actually her? That’s even more surreal.’

“Mo Qiu, why are you here, and why are you wearing that outfit?”

Bai Chen lowered the mop, a little hesitant to look directly at her.

How to put it? Mo Qiu in a maid outfit was simply too adorable. He feared that if he looked for too long, he wouldn’t be able to control himself. This was still a restroom; if the stall door closed, wouldn’t it become a private battlefield?

“Do you like it?” Mo Qiu asked, her expression unreadable.

“Ah, yes, I think it looks quite good.”

“That’s good.”

‘What the heck? She just suddenly appeared behind me just to ask if I thought she looked good.’

Bai Chen exhaled, relieved, and intended to speak with her outside.

*Bang.*

The stall door closed, instantly shrinking the space. Bai Chen had nowhere to escape, forced to stand intimately close to Mo Qiu.

The girl’s figure was so prominent, nearly pushing him into the corner.

“Mo Qiu?” Bai Chen watched her lock the stall door, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

Since he liked it, Mo Qiu naturally wouldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

Before Bai Chen’s astonished eyes, she produced a collar, placed it around her slender neck, attached a leash, and then offered the other end to him.

Bai Chen was stunned, rooted to the spot, unable to move.

Seeing his lack of reaction, Mo Qiu simply knelt, unconcerned about her skirt getting damp.

“Meow. Please, Master, take me in.”

The expressionless cat-eared maid knelt obediently before him, one hand holding the leash, the other resting beside her cheek.

“Meow~”